What is the Laravel Certification program?

Currently, there is no official Laravel certification program endorsed by Laravel LLC. Laravel does not offer its own certification, nor does it officially endorse any third-party certification providers.

The original official Laravel certification program was discontinued in 2023. Since then, Laravel’s core team has publicly stated that certification is not required to become skilled in Laravel, and real-world experience is more valuable.

Despite this, third-party organizations now offer independent Laravel certification exams. These programs are not affiliated with Laravel itself but are used by some developers to demonstrate structured knowledge, especially for contracts or job requirements.

One such third-party provider offers a tier-based certification structure:

Student Developer certification focuses on Laravel fundamentals and theoretical understanding, making it suitable for beginners and students.

Junior Developer certification combines theoretical and code-based questions and is intended for developers with 1 to 2 years of practical Laravel experience.

Senior Developer certification is heavily code-focused and targets experienced Laravel developers with several years of hands-on experience.

Some third-party programs also provide version upgrade exams to help developers align their certifications with newer Laravel releases.

It is important to note that the value of third-party Laravel certifications depends on the employer or client. These certificates are not universally recognized as proof of expertise.

Most experienced Laravel developers and the Laravel core team recommend learning Laravel by reading the official documentation, watching Laracasts, and building real applications. A strong GitHub portfolio, open-source contributions, and shipped projects are often considered more effective proof of skill than certification.

In summary, while third-party Laravel certifications exist, there is currently no official Laravel certification, and hands-on experience remains the most trusted way to demonstrate Laravel proficiency.